How Can I Create an Effective Social Change Agency?Posted by Thomassen McNulty on June 9th, 2021 Recently, I was sitting in a Starbucks coffee shop discussing the concept of a social change agency with someone who works for a think tank. I asked her what she thought of such an organization. She told me that she didn't like the term "social change" because it implied some sort of collectivism and I suggested it was more appropriate to use the phrase "social justice." After she stated her position to me many times over the years, I finally decided to give it a try. So I sat down to discuss my thought on this issue with her and this is what we came up with. A social change agency is an organization set up to advance progressive social change. Their focus is on issues that affect people's lives as a group or as individuals. Issues that are tackled by the organization range from poverty to corporate interests to climate change to marriage and family issues. No matter the issue they are committed to pursuing, their ultimate objective is to effect major change in people's lives. My think tank colleague explained to me that there are many different types of social change agencies out there, but none have a mandate to bring about significant change in the lives of citizens. Some of the smaller ones receive funding from larger organizations and then spend their funds in a variety of ways. The bigger organizations have a mandate to do just that. They receive grants and spend their grant money in a wide variety of ways. One of the things I have found in my consulting work is that the term "social justice" has a much bigger ring to it than "social change." For instance, when you say "progressive change," do you expect everyone to change? I don't. A better term would be "social change." People tend to get hung up on the word "social" and so when you speak of a "social change" or an "organization-social change" they automatically assume it is something that requires a massive change to occur - all of which is simply not true. In contrast, when you talk about a "social change initiative," it makes much more sense to use the term "social change agency." There is a mandate for these organizations. They receive grant money and then they have the responsibility to act on those funds in a wide variety of ways. For instance, some organizations focus on assisting individuals to achieve employment; others work to ensure that low income families receive adequate nutrition; still others provide support for people who are victims of human trafficking. There are many examples of these types of organizations. For example, the Center for Justice Programs at The University of Maryland focuses on providing legal services to low income communities. If someone wants to pursue an education degree or an advanced degree then they will need to obtain funding for that. Some of these organizations also focus on providing food assistance to low-income families. One example would be the Feeding America program, which provides free food to families who qualify. Social change organizations also receive funding from private foundations, corporations and special interest groups. Private foundations will typically provide their support to organizations that can demonstrate a track record of success. Corporations will typically give to organizations that demonstrate a track record of success as well. Special interest groups will often give money to organizations that focus on a specific issue. For instance, the Ford Foundation gives money to organizations that focus on the areas of urban development, poverty and other social issues. There are hundreds of private foundation, organizations and special interest groups that provide funding to these organizations. As you can see there is no magic bullet when it comes to being an effective social change agency. However, with a little creativity and strategy you can increase your effectiveness dramatically. Just remember that the best way to attract support and funding is to focus on the types of activities that bring in supporters and donors. By focusing on this you can greatly increase your chances of obtaining the grants and other funding that you need to make a difference in the world.Like it? Share it! More by this author |